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Vail Resorts Says Goodbye to Plastic Straws

Order a Bloody Mary at Northstar California and it will come garnished with all manner of goodies, from veggie skewers and celery sticks to fat shrimp, caramelized bacon, smoked jerky and more, depending on the bar and bartender. One thing it won’t have: a straw.

Vail Resorts, owner of Northstar, Heavenly and Kirkwood at Lake Tahoe and sister resorts in Colorado, Utah, British Columbia, Vermont and the Midwest, is one of the first corporations in the nation to ban plastic straws out of environmental concerns. The move is part of Vail’s “Epic Promise” commitment to a zero net operating footprint— including zero net emissions and zero waste to landfill—by 2030.

“Northstar guests are thrilled when we communicate why the resort is moving away from plastic straws, and straws in general,” says Stephanie Myers, resort spokeswoman.

Other food and beverage establishments in California and beyond also are embracing bans on disposable plastic products. Single-use plastic bags were banned statewide in 2016, and legislation introduced recently would make it illegal for servers to dole out plastic straws except on request from the customer. The cities of Davis, Malibu and San Luis Obispo already have plastic-straw restrictions in place (Malibu’s ban also includes plastic stirrers and utensils). Seattle will follow suit starting in July.

Plastic ban aside, you don’t have to get poked in the eye with a celery stick when drinking a bloody mary at Northstar. Ask, and you shall receive … a paper straw.